Penetration Testing

Correct Answer: Develop a proof-of-concept exploit to execute benign commands

The most appropriate next step to confirm and demonstrate the impact of a potential Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability is to develop a proof-of-concept exploit to execute benign commands. This approach allows the tester to:

1. Confirm the vulnerability's existence
2. Demonstrate its potential impact
3. Provide concrete evidence to the client
4. Avoid causing unintended damage or disruption

Executing benign commands (e.g., harmless system commands) proves the vulnerability while maintaining ethical and professional standards.

The other options are less appropriate:

Attempting to gain root access is excessive and potentially harmful. It goes beyond the scope of confirming the vulnerability and could violate ethical guidelines.

Informing the client and recommending immediate patching is premature without concrete evidence. It's essential to confirm the vulnerability first.

Performing a full system scan deviates from the immediate task of confirming the specific RCE vulnerability. It may be a valuable step later but is not the most appropriate next action.

By developing a proof-of-concept with benign commands, the tester can effectively validate the vulnerability while adhering to responsible disclosure practices and maintaining the integrity of the penetration testing process.

Correct Answer: Manipulate the vulnerable parameter in the HTTP request to access unauthorized resources.

By manipulating the vulnerable parameter in the HTTP request, the attacker can directly access unauthorized resources, exploiting the insecure direct object reference vulnerability. The other options do not specifically relate to this type of vulnerability.

Correct Answer: Perform a slow stealth scan to evade detection

Performing a slow stealth scan can help evade detection by minimizing the number of packets sent and their frequency, while other options may be detected by the firewall and blocked.